Alliro
by KaseyBeth
Summary: College is hard enough for Shiro, and adding a beautiful girl into t he mix wasn't helping anything. Voltron modern college AU. Shalllura slowburn. Matt is a chaotic mess who is a smooth talker. Coran is a huge shipper of his students. Shiro is a clumsy, totally done with everything kind of guy. And Allura doesn't have time to deal with people's crap.


_Please pick up. Please pick up… please…_

Shiro pressed his back against the gray wall behind him, letting his aching body slide down the harsh brick until he landed on the ground with a soft thump. He inhaled loudly as the phone continued to ring, knowing that despite that last 15 calls, no one would answer. He cleared his throat ass he glanced up at the flickering yellow light above him as tears threatened to swell in his eyes.

He pressed the phone against his forehead, pulling his knees to his chest as the nights events swirled in his head again. He swallowed thickly and tried his best to sigh, tried his best to calm down. He ran a shaky hand through his hair as he glanced at his cracked screen on his phone once more, letting his hand hover over her number.

The 20-year-old swallowed thickly, smacking his head against the wall behind him as tears flooded his eyes. He needed to talk to someone… anyone… he needed to be with someone. He didn't want to be alone right now. He couldn't be alone right now…

Shiro wiped at the tears washing down his face roughly with the sleeve of his shirt as he glanced once more at her number. He closed his eyes briefly, before pressing call. He took a deep breath, counting the number of rings that went by, hoping, praying…

"Hello?"

Memories hit Shiro and suddenly everything that had happened in the past 72 hours flooded his senses as her voice echoed through the phone. Shiro felt his hand shaking as he struggled to hold it steady against his ear, as he struggled to breath. He couldn't do this. He needed someone right now… but he couldn't do this.

"Shiro?"

Shiro nodded instinctively, trying to remember how to speak. He felt his grasp around the phone tighten as some tripped over his foot, causing him to jump slightly. Something popped overhead and darkness flooded the tiny spot Shiro was sitting. The 20-year-old glanced up slowly, noticing the light overhead had finally gone out; noticing it had given up. He heard his name again, and Shiro swallowed loudly, closing his eyes, trying to forget the memories.

"Y-yeah?" He whispered softly, the words barely making past his mouth as he tried to forget everything, tried to forget what he had done, what she had done.

There was a pause on the other end of the line, and Shiro held his breath, wondering if she had hung up. He bit his lip when he heard rustling then, "Are you- Is everything alright?"

Shiro shook his head, pulling the phone from his ear, pressing the cool metal against his forehead. No. Nothing was alright… not anymore. He swallowed again as tears welled in his eyes, burning their tired rims, and Shiro felt his throat tighten. He really didn't want to be alone right now… if he was… he couldn't handle this alone.

Shiro pressed his sleeve against his mouth as a muffed sob escaped his throat and he took another deep breath, scrubbing at the tears clouding his eyes. He pushed himself off the floor roughly, slamming against the wall behind him as his balance failed him, and he nearly dropped the phone still clutched in his hand. He pressed his left shoulder against the brick harshly as he took another deep breath, leaning heavily against the dark wall.

"I-I can't do this," He said softly, pressing the phone against his ear again.

"Shiro? What's wrong," She asked gently. Shiro coughed softly; the burning heat from the phone and her soft voice the only things keeping him grounded right now.

"I-they- Keith, he- and dad, I… Allura, I really need someone right now," He choked out. He felt his knees shaking and felt them weaken slightly as he shifted towards the ground again, pressing his back against the cold wall harshly. He felt the rough brick dig into his spine and pressed harder, hoping to feel something, anything- anything besides the pain he felt in his heart. He exhaled again as silence answered him on the other end of the line, and bit his lip.

He closed his eyes as he heard her sniff softly, "I-I'm coming. Shiro, I'm on my way. I'm coming."

…..

 _There was no light. Only darkness. It enveloped him, his body numb and still, his brain n longer able to control the limbs that were once his. He tried to call out, to scream, to cry for something, someone, anyone… but his mouth wouldn't work… his lips wouldn't move. Voices echoed around him without a source and Shiro tried to move. He felt tears well in his eyes but they sat frozen in his eyes, refusing to spill._

 _He swallowed as Keith yelled loudly and Shiro tried to yell, he tried to move his arm as Keith's pained voice echoed around him. He sounded hurt. He sounded scared. Shiro was scared… Shiro was…_

 _Pain suddenly enveloped his side, painting the black abyss in a mess of bright colors and Shiro grit his teeth as something pierced through his right shoulder. He tried to scream, he tried to open his eyes, but nothing happened. He had nothing… nothing but the bright colors that flooded his senses and he could taste red. The bitter color filling his mouth as something dripped down his body and Keith screamed again, calling for him, crying for him._

 _Shiro felt a small hand touch his grasp his left hand and he tried to open his eyes as Keith's voice filled his ears, "Please wake up, big brother."_

 _The 16-year-old tried to open his eyes as Keith's fingers slipped from his grasp… but instead he was met with the numbing darkness once more._

Shiro jerked awake, sitting up quickly as he sucked in a shaky breath. Highlighters and notebooks scattered the ugly floor as the 19-year-old shook the memory from his head, closing his eyes as he focused on his breathing. You're okay. You're okay. You're alright now.

Shiro ran a shaky hand through his hair and opened his eyes to see Matt's face mere inched from his. He jumped back, his metal chair scrapping against the speckled ground as he bit back a startled yelp. He let out another shaky breath before crouching down to pick up his English book lying face down on the floor.

"Matt! What the hell?" He asked as the redhead raised an eyebrow, straightening his posture before bending down to pick up the 20 highlighters that littered the ground.

"You okay, Spaceman?" Matt asked softly, pausing to hand Shiro the contents from the ground. Confusion crossed the 19-year-olds face as he took the supplies from Matt, and closed the notebooks littering the brown table. He nodded slowly as he leaned back in his chair, folding his arms over his chest gently, his heart still racing.

Shiro sighed again as he ran another hand through his sweaty hair. It took a few foggy minutes to remember he was still sitting in the shitty café Matt managed to drag him to every Tuesday. It took him even longer, and a quick glance at the lion watch present on his wrist to remember he had been here for over two hours.

Shiro glanced around the small, dimly lit coffeeshop, glancing towards the dirty window, realizing it had started to pour outside. He shivered as he watched the water wash down the stained glass, the lights flickering in the café momentarily as thunder boomed outside. He really wanted to leave. Coffeehouses weren't really his place… besides, he didn't really like the taste of coffee anyway.

Matt set something down in front of him and Shiro jumped, glancing back towards the redhead as he took a sip from what had to be his fifth cup of coffee. Shiro shook his head, "You know, with as much coffee as you drink, I'm surprised you're actually able to sleep at night."

The 18-year-old laughed softly, "Well it helps if you have someone to sleep with."

Shiro snorted as he watched a small smirk cross the youngers face. He leaned forward, grabbing the pens and highlighters off the table, sliding them into his black book back, before reaching for his textbooks. He shoved the school books and notebooks in his bag harshly, hoping to make it back to the apartment without getting soaked. He reached for his phone, and stood, pushing his chair in as Matt cleared his throat, "You sure you're okay, man? You seemed pretty freaked out; scared the hell out of Linda and Jessica…"

Shiro arched an eyebrow as he looked down at Matt, "Who?"

Matt flicked his head in the direction of a table sitting in the back corner of the café where two girls sat together, laughing loudly, and waving. Shiro clicked his tongue as he nodded in their direction before turning back towards Matt, a grin covering the other boy's freckled face. Figures Matt would have been flirting with them. Every time they went somewhere, Matt always managed to make a few friends and then some. Shiro shook his head gently; with as often as he had seen random people come down the stairs in the morning, you would think they owned a hotel or something.

Matt shrugged his shoulders, "What can I say man? They seemed pretty into the whole robot thing, you know?"

Shiro rolled his eyes, "Right. Well Matt, I'm going home to finish my essay. I'll see you later, okay?"

"Wait, wait," Matt said, grasping the bottom of Shiro's backpack, "Wait. Dude. Seriously. Are you okay? I can go with you if you want…"

Shiro felt a small smile cross his face at the gesture, "No, it's cool Matt. I'm fine, honestly. Just- you know, bad dream. I'm fine. You go, have a good time. I'll see you later, okay?"

Matt stared at him for a second and Shiro felt a chill run down his spine. He knew the younger boy was deciding if he should believe him or not… like always. Shiro felt the grasp on his bookbag loosen as Matt dropped his hand slowly, and stood, picking up his coffee mug as he glanced towards the two girls. One of them squealed loudly and Shiro winced, the sound hurting his ears. Matt sighed again, downing the rest of his coffee like a shot, before looking back up at Shiro, "Alright, spaceman. If I must, then I'll venture through the rest of the night without you…"

Shiro shook his head as a smirk crossed his face, "Yeah, and I'll send my regards to Pidge… let her know her big brother is too busy partying to get on Xbox live tonight."

Matt started walking towards the girls, waving slightly over his shoulder, "Oh no, we're still doing that, but not until 4am. She's kicking my ass on ."

The 19-year-old chuckled softly as he tightened his grip around his backpack, and stepped towards the line forming near the cash register. Despite this place having the crappiest cup of coffee Shiro had ever tasted, they had amazing tea… and cookies. Caffeine and sugar… the two things he needed more than anything right now, because despite the tired exhaustion flooding his mind, sleep was the last thing he wanted right now.

He exhaled loudly as he glanced once more around towards the dim café. Thunder clapped overhead and the lights wavered again, and rain beat against the glass, willing to break the murky panel. Halloween decorations littered the ugly walls, held together by masking tape, pinned against the plaster with black and orange thumbtacks. The decorations themselves looked like they had been done by a bunch of kindergartens, which was better than knowing they were put together by college students. Fake cobwebs hung from the ceiling loosely, threatening to fall if someone walked past them too quickly. Halloween was less than a week away, and even though the holiday was the most anticipated day at Voltron University, the decorations that covered the walls made the holiday seem more depressing than anything.

Shiro ran a hand through his hair as the lights flickered again, shifting from one foot to the other as he debated whether he really wanted that tea. He knew it would keep him up for a few good ours, and if he was lucky, until morning… but the rain was getting worse outside. He turned to glance in Matt's direction to see the younger boy had already left, the two girls also gone, and Shiro rolled his eyes as he reached in his pocket, digging for his wallet.

Change rolled from his pocket loudly and Shiro cursed, bending down to pick up the loose coins that spread lazily across the ground. He cleared his throat as he glanced back up, his eyes connecting with a small girl a few feet in front of him, her eyes fixed on him, her hand grasping her mother's tightly. Shiro followed her gaze as he pocketed the coins, and sighed loudly as his gaze hit his right hand. He waved slowly, a gentle smile forming over his face as he pulled his sleeve down gently, revealing the shiny metal prosthetic.

"It's okay. See, nothing to be scared of," He said gently, holding his hand up slightly, wiggling his fingers slowly. The girl jumped back, pressing her forehead against her mother's hand, closing her eyes as Shiro pulled the sleeve back over his arm, biting his lip. _Good going. You scared her, dumbass._

He sighed loudly, running another hand through his hair as he glanced once more towards the front of the line, two people deep. He didn't need caffeine that bad… besides he was pretty sure Matt had some in the cabinet somewhere. He shifted his bookbag to his other side, and shoved his hand in his hoodie pocket as some kids ran past him harshly.

"What happened?"

Shiro glanced back down towards the voice, realizing the girl had taken a step closer towards him, her hand still tightly clasped onto her mother's. Shiro smiled, kneeling gently, groaning inwardly as his knees pressed against the cold ground.

"Space," He said softly, pulling his hand from the pocket, and pushing the hoodie's sleeve up slightly.

A smile filled the girl's face and Shiro smirked, noticing she was missing her two front teeth. She reminded him of his little brother. She stomped her orange rainboot gently, "Nu-uh!"

Shiro nodded, his eyebrows raising as he let go of his bookbag, raising his hands slightly, "No, it's true. I was in space on a secret mission, and out of nowhere this purple alien came up to me and was all, 'Raaaaaaahhhh, Shiro! Kneel before the Galra empire!' and I was like, 'No thanks.' Then he tried to fight me with his giant robot… it was a mess."

The girl laughed loudly, shaking her head as she let go of her mother's hand. Shiro laughed softly, glancing up at the girl's mother as she made a disapproving noise, before pushing himself off the floor. He ran a hand through his hair as he nodded slightly towards the girl's mother, who grasped at the daughter's jacket, pulling her forward. Kid's pushed past Shiro roughly and he turned to watch them shove past each other in between tables and customers. He could hear their mother yelling their names behind him and flinched slightly, feeling annoyance boil in his veins as they ran past him again, pushing the little girl out of the way slightly. Shiro cleared his throat, glancing back down at the girl, making sure she didn't fall.

"Why did he fight you?" The girl asked loudly, wincing as her mother pulled her towards the counter, her orange rainboots squeaking loudly against the ground. Shiro smiled again, "I don't know. I think he wanted my watch."

The 19-year-old held up his other wrist, revealing the white watch with different colored lions on it. It was a childish beyond belief, but Keith had given it to him as joke before he left for college, and Shiro was bound determined to make the 15-year-old regret giving it to him. The girl laughed again and Shiro snorted, pretending to inspect his watch intently. After a few minutes he let his hand drop to his side, and smiled as the little girl waved quickly as her mother pulled her towards the door, a look of disapproval still present on her face.

Shiro shook his head and stepped towards the counter, fixing some of the gift cards that had fallen out of the slot. The kids shoved past him again, and Shiro almost lost his balance. He watched them run past a couple having a late-night date, and contemplated tripping them next time they came near him. He turned towards the mom behind him, gritting his teeth as she stood, texting on her phone, ignoring her kids as they shoved past her once more.

"You're in my Chemistry class, right?" Someone asked softly. Shiro jumped, glancing back towards the counter, his eyes connecting with the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. He swallowed loudly as every thought cleared his mind and his heartbeat filled his ears, his lungs expelling air they couldn't remember how inhale. He coughed softly as the temperature in the room rose and he nonchalantly pushed his hoodie sleeves up, trying to stop the blush creeping across his face; trying to remember how to breathe, how to speak.

Confusion crossed the barista's face, and she gently tucked am loose strand of white hair behind her ear. She raised an eyebrow as Shiro cleared his throat, "S-sorry. Um, what?"

The barista laughed softly and Shiro felt his breathing hitch momentarily.

"I asked," She said gently, "If you were in my Chemistry class."

Shiro smirked slightly as he realized the girl spoke with an English accent. She wasn't from here, which made since considering nothing beautiful had ever come from this town. Shiro tightened his grip on his bookbag as one of the kid's screamed loudly behind him; as he tried to remember if her was even in Chemistry. He was currently taking five classes, and considering his body ran mostly on 5 hours of sleep and an unhealthy amount of sour patch kids, it was hard to rake though his over-exhausted brain to figure out if Chemistry was a class he had been in. He nodded slowly, mentally running through his class schedule.

"Dr. Coran. Right?" She asked softly, reaching for an empty cup on the counter. Shiro cleared his throat as the lights flickered, "Yeah. Um, Mondays and Wednesdays? 8am?"

The barista nodded slightly, "Yeah, that's the one."

Shiro heard the woman behind him groan loudly and he cleared his throat, "I-I'm Shiro, by the way. It might be helpful if I know at least one person in that class…"

A grin crossed over the girl's face, "Same. Otherwise I think Coran would have a heart attack if I didn't get to know at least one person. I'm Allura."

Shiro smiled, "Nice to me-"

Something smack against him and Shiro almost lost his balance as the woman who was standing behind him, pushed her way in, shoving Shiro out of the way. Shiro caught himself against the counter, dropping his bookbag on the ground next to him as confused annoyance painted his face. He straightened his posture as the kids ran past him again.

Shiro faltered as the woman's kids pushed past him and he fell against the edge of the counter once again, trying to keep himself steady against the slick granite as his shoes scrapped against the ground noisily. He stumbled slightly, turning around to glare at the boy who had fallen against him, before bending down to pick up the baked goods that had fallen to the dirty floor earlier. He inhaled sharply as the middle-aged woman slammed her purse on the counter loudly.

"Girl! I have been waiting for over 10 minutes for my Venti half-calf mocha latte. And what have you been doing? Standing around flirting with some guy. Can't you see I'm busy here?" The woman yelled loudly, stomping her foot on the hard ground loudly. Several customers had turned towards the commotion, while others looked like they were trying their best to ignore it.

Shiro groaned as he pushed himself off the floor, placing the fallen goods back on the counter in the most organized fashion he could possibly manage. He glanced towards Allura, who stood, eyebrow raised, her arms crossed over her chest as the older woman continued to scream.

"Excuse me, ma'am," Shiro cleared his throat, "Let me-"

Both Allura and the woman turned towards him and Shiro felt his face heat up again as all train of thought left his mind. He swallowed loudly as he studied the calm expression painted across Allura's face, and glanced down at the woman standing in front of him. She flipped her hair, looking down at his right arm before scoffing, "Yeah, thanks cyborg, but we got it here."

Shiro opened his mouth to say something but Allura held up a hand, smiling briefly at him before turning back towards the woman.

"What can I do for you?" She asked calmly.

The woman grit her teeth as she leaned across the counter. Behind her, her kids had pushed together a few tables, hiding under them, throwing napkins and packets of sugar at each other. "What can you do for me?" The woman asked, slamming her phone on the counter, "You can get me my goddamned latte. Now, girl."

A smirk crossed Allura's face and Shiro felt a chill run down his spine as he stood awkwardly on the sidelines, not really sure what to do or how to help. He wasn't the best with confrontation, and he wasn't entirely sure why the woman was so upset in the first place.

Allura shook her head, "No."

The woman gasped, "I- what! No! You don't say no to me! I say no to you! Who is your supervisor. I want to talk to your manager, now!"

Shiro swallowed and glanced towards Allura, noticing her eyes were fixated on him. She smiled again and warmth washed over him as he took another breath, exhaustion flooding his overworked senses. Fuck, maybe he did need some sleep.

"Shiro?" Allura asked gently, "What would you like? Free of charge."

The 19-year-old glanced between Allura and the older woman, confusion masking his features as he tried to recall if he had missed something. "Uh," He muttered, picking his bookbag off the floor.

The woman snapped towards Allura, "Oh hell no. Are you deaf, girl? I asked for-"

"A manager," The barista turned back towards the woman, "Yes, I heard you. We heard you. Hell, I think the whole bloody Nation heard you. But unfortunately, it's late, I'm tired. We close in 10 minutes and I don't feel like dealing with an overgrown adult who expresses her feelings in such a childish manner."

Shiro raised an eyebrow as he leaned gently against the counter. The woman scoffed loudly, "I beg your pardon? Who the fuck do you think you are? You can't talk-"

"Actually," Allura began, grabbing a Venti cup, "Shiro?"

"Uh, Green tea, please," He said softly, reaching for his wallet again.

"Alright. Interesting choice," She said softly, writing something on the cup, before turning back towards the woman, "I have every right. You're very rude. Your kids are worse. You've made your point very clear with your adult temper tantrum. And like every child I feel the need to discipline you- something I'm sure you've never done with your kids. You interrupted my transaction. You insulted my customers, and quite frankly, I just don't like you. So, I'm not serving you today, maybe tomorrow if you come back with a better attitude. Until then, I want you to leave."

Allura pushed the woman's purse towards her before reaching inside a drawer, pulling out a silver canister. The woman stared at the barista, her glare fixated on her as she opened her mouth to speak.

"And," Allura cleared her throat, pouring hot water into the red cup, "If none of those reasons are good enough for you, then perhaps it will help to know that I am the manager. Here, Shiro."

She slid the cup towards him gently, her eyes never leaving the woman's face. The woman huffed loudly, yanking her purse off the counter before striding towards the door, yelling for her kids to follow. Shiro winced slightly as the door slammed behind her, and Allura turned back to face him, a warm smile present on her face.

He raised an eyebrow as he tried handing her some cash, "That was impressive. Remind me to never get on your bad side."

Allura laughed softly, tucking another loose strand of hair behind her ear. She brushed some tea leaves off the counter before looking back up at Shiro. She smirked, pushing his hand back towards him, "Like I said, it's on the house."

…..


End file.
